Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-25
CHRISTMAS IN THE oLDEN TINE.
BY GRANDPA.

By GitANDIA
Editor Rural World: thank you for
the honor OF your favor of the 9th INST,
inviting me to give description OF
christmas in the olden times. You
will please remember that we had no
railroads, telegraphs Or telephones III
those days, and therefore my acquaint-
ance with the outside world was neces-
sarily limited. We had no daily papers
and but very few weeklies, and they
We're Of the ix9 order But to the point.
Commencing with my earliest recellec-
ton, tifty-eight or sixty years ago,
the people nearly all lireI in log houses
or framed ones in that part of the coun-
try in which | lived. with large CHM
neys, broad, open fire places, many
OF them without jams and very
broad. Into these they could roll
large log. frequently twenty-four to
thirty inches in diameter, and on top OF
that would put another half its size. and
still another in front With these for
foundation and plenty of small wood.
| they We're prepared for a Christmas re-
ception.
Well. how was Christmas celebrated:
On Christmas eve those who had teams
OF oxen or horses. or those who lived
near enough to walk, would go 10 the
church which would be decorated with
evergreens. and illuminated with tai
low candles. There they would have
the services Of the Episcopal church,
! Il am speaking of my own nei9hbor-
/ hood Then on Christmas, some one
within radius of from two to four
miles, who was fortunate enough to
have a good, fat hog to kill. would have
the spare-rbS saved, and invite his
neighborS to Christmas dinner with
himself and family. Then those who
| had teams yoked them up, for they were
mostly oxen. and then with their FAM
lies and their neighbOr's families, would
go two. three or four miles to ENJOY
their annual reunion, and they did enjoy
it. too.
You want to know how the dinner was
prepared: Well. the bill of fare was
roast spare-rib boiled potatoes. boiled
turnipS. pumpkin sass, rye and Indian
Gniun) bread, with sometimes q little
wheat bread pumpkin pie, pearlash
cake. with the pearlash left out and cob
ashes substituted. as but few could afford
to buy pparlash. and we had no saleratus
or soda then.
And the cooking. too? Well, the
bread and the pies We're baked i'll the
large brick oven. the potatoes and tuT-
nips were boiled III a large dinner pot
hung on francis in the large open fire
place. The francis hung on poles in the
chimney. The spare-ribs We're roasted
before the fire They We're hung by
strings to hooks above. and swung down
before the fire Then there was plenty
of fine wood set leaning over the log
foundation, and the big fire would drive
the guests all back. They did not have
kitchen, dining room and parlor
separate, but all in one, and that the
kitchen. One of the company was de-
tailed to attend to the spare-rib,
and would have a large spoon
tied on to long, slim stick, that would
reach the rib, and would keep
turning it and basting it to have 1t cooked
and seasoned right This basting was
dipping the water with salt dissolved III
it from q vessel under the meat on to 1T,
letting it run down and keeping the
meat moist. ct makes my mouth water
to write about it. it was so much better
than drying it up 1t generally took
about three hours to cook it. How we'll
do remember how | used to sweat, and
how tired l got OF turning 1t.
What We're the presents we got then:
Not gOld-headed canes, gold watches,
gold claSped albums, or Bibles, and the
little ones did not get two or three dollar
dolls The most favored among the
boys would sometimes get five cent
Barlow knife, and the most favored girls
would get a NICE homemade
striped linen dress, for a nice dress:
the colored stripe would be cOlOred with
annattO. instead of coperas. The younger
ones most generally got new doll,
made BIZ mamma of cloth. and stuffed
with bran. Sometimes the boys and
girls too, would get an apple and stick
of candy or a few crackers. In those
days crackers We're a rarity, and sold at
six cents a dozen.
There was real enjoyment III those hOl-
idav festivities Formally was set aside
good cheer and social enjoyment ruled.
There was. moreover, one source from
which the crown of enjoyment that Is
ignored entirely, or vastly too much lost
sight of il these days of prosperity, folly
and fOrmaIitv. Then if any were too
feeble to get to the feast, Is was custom
ary to have voluntary committee to
carry to them a portion, without waiting
until the morrow. and then
scrape together and carry to
Inelu J!lc IldSlICiItS' ". ioN
much enjoyment is lost at the present
day. by the false notions of charity,
even among charitably inclined people.
We had another source of enjoyment
now neglected. If there was poor
widow or family in distress by sick
ness of the head of the family or other
wise, the neighbors made it a rule To
turn ont and get up their winter supply
of wood. The young men and boys
would 90 and chop and pile it. These
were days when there we've not 50 many
little towns and hamletS where boys
could congregate 10 smoke cigars and
cigarettes and swear.
Oh, that we might as people. return
and have a renewal or revival of the
spirit that actuated those old pioneers in
the bestowal of their charities. With
the prosperity and all the blessings sur
rounding us. we could almost have
paradise on earth: 50 near it. that doubt
whether any of Us would plead for
change.
No longer vain
And purpoSeless our onward struggling